Take Comfort in Me
by CountTheCrows
Summary: A new Tyler/Caroline fanfiction. Will be mulit-chapters. Spoilers. Based on new promo
1. Chapter 1

Take Comfort in Me

Chapter 1: Bedfellows

Author's Note:

I realize I'm still writing two other fics, and they will get written, but this is coming off my need to fend off my HKF (hiatus killer fatigue) and the promo of TC sexin'.

Potential spoilers.

Enjoy!

Caroline Forbes didn't know how in the world she found herself at this very moment having sex with Tyler Lockwood, but she was. It could all be traced back to earlier that night during Elena's party.

_Flashback_

_Caroline looked around the Salvatore house proudly, patting herself on the back for all of her hard work. The party would be delicious, and Elena would have a good time. Damn being stuck in her "my boyfriend had disappeared funk," damn that to hell. The girl had been through enough and she was going to celebrate, if Caroline had to force her to the whole damn night._

_She was about to get herself a drink when WHAM._

"_Oh my, I'm so sorry," she said not noting the person she rammed into. And after she did, she wished she hadn't. Matt. Matt-I'm-dumping-you-because-you're-a-vampire-and-I-can't-handle-it-Donovan. "Matt, I'm so sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going."_

"_Clearly." Okay, guess Matt wasn't going to make this easy, but when was it ever easy and not awkward to see an ex? But Caroline was determine to make the transition from exes to friends as uncomplicated and painless as possible. She could do that right? After all, their entire relationship amounted to what, a few months at best. They had been friends for most of their lives, or at least acquaintances. They should be able to be friends. So what if he didn't want to be with her? _

"_How are you doing?" Matt sighed in annoyance._

"_I'm fine Caroline."_

"_Good. Great. How's your summer going?"_

"_How do you think it's going Car? I'm busting my ass at the grill to pay off lousy bills."_

"_I'm sorry, Matt. I really am."_

"_Could you just not?" Caroline was confused._

"_Not what?"_

"_What's with the snow white act?"_

"_What's that supposed to mean?"_

"_It means we're over. Stop trying to act like you still care."_

"_But, I DO still care, Matt." _

"_Well, stop. You're just making it worse." Caroline started to walk away when she felt this rage come on._

"_Know what Matt? Let's get one thing straight, you dumped ME, okay? Not the other way around. You didn't want any part of this. If anything, I should be the one who's upset, and instead I'm going around tiptoeing around YOUR feelings trying to make you feel better. What's wrong with this picture? God, I'm just…I'm done. Next time I see you Matt, I won't say anything. Or better yet, I'll tell you to go to hell."_

_Caroline felt like a huge weight had been lifted off of her shoulders, she was elated, and free, and she had to suddenly use the bathroom._

_Goodness, the Salvatore house was like a damn museum. It was funny, she had been here many times before, and yet she always seemed to find a new room or artifact. She actually laughed, picturing Damon with this golden rooster statue that she found._

_On her way to the bathroom she found Elena standing in an empty room just staring out the window._

"_Hey 'Lena. What are you doing?" Elena, looking stunning in her white dress turned to face one of her oldest friends and shrugged._

"_Just trying to get some air."_

"_Some air, inside the house?" Elena sighed._

"_What do you want from me Caroline? I'm trying."_

"_You call this trying? Elena, you're so far from trying. Look I know it's hard knowing Stefan is out there and he may not be coming back, but you've got to admit that you're letting your life pass you by."_

"_Oh, really? Is that what you all think? Is that what you all want me to do, get on with my life?"_

"_Well, yeah. Have some fun, try to get back to some semblance of normal."_

"_Caroline, nothing about my life is normal. And what about you?" _

"_What about me?"_

"_Are you 'living your life'?" _

"_What is that supposed to mean?"_

"_It means have you seen the way Tyler looks at you? You'd have to, unless you're blind, and I don't see you doing anything about that." Caroline shook her head._

"_Elena, you've got it all wrong. Tyler and I are just friends" Elena nodded._

"_Now who's in denial?" And with that, Elena walked past Caroline._

_Caroline left that conversation thinking Elena was crazy. She was just so wrapped up in being depressed over Stefan that she wasn't thinking clearly. Tyler and Caroline, that's crazy. Of course she liked him, he had become one of her best friends. They spent almost every day together, had lunch, and did random stupid stuff to pass the time._

_But that didn't mean she liked him, or that he liked her._

_They were friends._

_Friends._

_Friends. Good friends._

_Best friends._

_Platonic friends._

_She was trying to keep that in her head, but then she spotted Tyler dancing with some girl…Sophie something or other. Tyler Lockwood, dancing? She laughed. She couldn't picture Tyler dancing, with anyone._

_How come Tyler never told her he could dance?_

_How come Tyler never asked her to dance? _

_Wait, why was she thinking about Tyler dancing? She didn't care who or what he danced with. _

_The music suddenly shifted from hip hop to slow and Tyler moved closer to his date._

_Caroline felt a lump in her throat. Tyler and this girl were getting a little too close for comfort if you asked her. Not that it was any of her business. Tyler and her were friends._

_So why was she getting greener by the minute watching them? Why? Why?_

_She couldn't answer, or rather she didn't want to, so she went to go do some other stuff to pass the time. By the time she was done, the party was nearly ending and she decided to help clean up. She noticed Tyler out of the corner of her eye coming up to her._

"_Hey Caroline. Great party." He was smiling. He had such a cute smile._

"_Thanks Tyler. Thanks for helping me set up." She smiled back._

"_No problem. Did you have a good time?"_

"_Yeah, I did." And then the thought popped into her head, __**it would have been better if I would have spent it with you**__. "Did you?"_

"_Yeah, I did. I really did. It was nice, you know, to be normal for one night." He smiled again. That gorgeous smile._

"_So I noticed." Tyler gave her his confused look. "I saw you dancing with that Sophie girl. I never knew you could dance." Tyler chuckled._

"_Well, if that's what you call dancing…"_

"_Yeah." She looked at him, he looked at her. For a moment their stares were frozen._

"_Well, Forbes, I gotta get going, I'll see you later," he said, grabbing her into a hug. _

_Caroline found herself wishing he'd never let go, but he did, and she was left to clean up the party._

_It wasn't until she was home an hour later where she really started to digest everything that had happened. Her sudden courage with Matt, her talk with Elena, seeing Tyler with that girl, her reaction to Tyler's hug._

_Oh my god, it was so obvious. Caroline Forbes was in love with Tyler Lockwood! She was totally in love with him. She wanted to be with him. Why couldn't she see it before? Well, because Caroline liked uncomplicated and Tyler was complicated enough before being a werewolf. And she was a vampire, and a werewolf bite could kill a vampire._

_But there were other things. She was never going to be what anybody truly wanted in a lover. She always said the wrong thing, no matter how hard she tried. Failing with Matt was bad enough, but failing with Tyler would be heartbreaking, for he was the truly one person she could be open with. She could cry and look like shit with him and he'd still smile and tell her she was beautiful._

_She didn't want to give away what was left of her heart, because if that broke she'd have nothing left._

_But Elena was right. She was letting her life pass her by, and she wouldn't do that anymore._

_Fifteen minutes later she found herself at the Lockwood's front door. She knocked, and thankfully Tyler answered._

"_Caroline, is everything okay?"_

"_Yes. No. Um, is your mom home?"_

"_No, she's out. Why?" But this was not the time for speaking. Caroline grabbed Tyler and kissed him, kissed him fierce and long. He returned the kiss and before she knew it, they were upstairs in his bedroom. He took his shirt off and she took hers off, and threw him onto the bed._

And here we are.

Caroline jumped on top of Tyler ready to devour him as if she were a person who had not eaten in weeks. But Tyler took his hands and braced her.

"Caroline, what, what is this?"

"I just, I just don't want to talk about it, I don't want to talk myself out of it. All I know is I want to be with you Tyler. I want to be with you so badly."

"Is this because of our conversation earlier? About me being horny, because you don't have to do this."

"I'm not. It's not because of that. I. Want. You."

"Caroline, you have _no_ idea how long I've waited to hear you say that." Finally, Tyler released her and together they moved inside each other and became whole until there was no Tyler and Caroline, it was just TylerCaroline as one entity. One unit, one mind, one body, one soul.

If only they could stay like this forever.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: The Aftermath

The morning sun shone through the bedroom windows in Tyler's room of the Lockwood mansion, placing emphasis on Caroline's golden blonde hair and her creamy skin.

Last night had been one of the best of the young werewolf's life. He was no stranger to the opposite sex and hadn't been able to call himself a virgin in a long time, but last night was different. It was different because he hadn't had sex since before he was a werewolf, and because it was with Caroline. It was better because it was with Caroline, actually _everything_ was with better because it was with Caroline.

It's like waking up for the first time and experiencing everything new. It was almost as if Tyler was having an out of body experience and floating up and looking down on himself. Not only was sex different, he was different, implicitly. Forever.

The trees were greener and the sky was bluer, as was the ocean. The sun was a more brighter yellow than it had ever been, and the at night he no longer would feel alone or scared of what he might turn into, or what damage he could do. He didn't have to be afraid of himself because _she _wasn't. It was the first time after returning to Mystic Falls that he felt in his heart of hearts that he could do this, he could be a better man, as long as she was with him.

He noticed Caroline stirring and moved forward to kiss her on the forehead. She opened her eyes and smiled.

"Morning."

"Morning." Caroline turned over onto her back, and then onto her side to face Tyler. "How'd you sleep?"

"I slept great. And you?"

"I slept really great. You have a nice bed." Tyler laughed.

"Thanks."

"Mm-hmm." She took Tyler's hands and entwined them with hers. "It just occurred to me, I've never been in your room before. Ever."

"No, I guess you haven't." 

"What time is it?" Tyler grabbed his watch from the nightstand.

"Um, 9:00."

"Shit," she said, getting herself out of bed. But Tyler placed his hand on her wrist, not wanting her to leave.

"Wait, where are you going?"

"Home. My mom is going to flip if she sees I'm not home," Caroline said fishing for her clothing on the wooden floor.

"Oh," was all Tyler could say.

"Yeah, she's been extra vigilant ever since she found out what I am. I guess she's scared that…" but she didn't finish her sentence.

"Scared of what?"

"That I'll…you know…die." Tyler cringed at the word _death_ and Caroline in the same sentence.

"Well, that's good right? I mean, must feel good to know that she cares enough." Caroline shrugged while putting on her skirt.

"I guess." Caroline noticed that Tyler was frowning. She came over to the bed, sat down, and nudged him. "Hey, what's wrong?" Tyler shook his head.

"Nothing."

"Tyler James Lockwood, you better tell me what is wrong right this instant."

"I knew I'd regret telling you my middle name." Caroline didn't budge. She had a look of stone when she wanted to. "I guess I was just wondering if this was a one-time thing."

"What do you mean?" Tyler motioned with his hands him and Caroline.

"You know, you and me."

"Why would you think that?" Now it was Tyler's turn to shrug.

"I don't know. Just seems too good to be true. And last night, you had that thing with Matt and…I don't know. Maybe you were just feeling down."

"So, you think I what, came over here and used you to make myself feel better?"

"I don't know, Caroline. I don't exactly have luck in this department."

"What are you talking about? You're Tyler Lockwood. I know how many girls you've been with."

"Yeah, but none that have mattered….I mean…not like this. Look, I don't want to force you, so I guess what I'm saying is if this was just a one-time thing, I get it." Caroline picked up a pillow and threw it at his head. "Ow."

"You deserved it. God, how dense are you? I came over here last night because I wanted to be with _you. I still want to be with you_, you idiot. So, get that through your head." Then she leaned over and kissed him.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, unless…you're not."

"No! I mean, I'm really sure. I'm really, really sure."

"Okay, so then we're agreed." Tyler smiled.

"Well, now that we've got that settled you sure I can't persuade you to stay just a little longer." Caroline laughed.

"I wish, but I need to go home and take a shower."

"You smell fine to me."

"Yeah, like a bed of roses. Anyway, I'll be back tonight." Suddenly, Tyler jumped out of bed.

"Um, no, you won't." Caroline looked confused.

"And why won't I?"

"You know what tonight is."

"Yeah, the full moon. What's the big? I've been there for every other one." Tyler sighed.

"This is different. We're a we now, and it's too much, it's too dangerous."

"But –" Tyler kissed her midsentence.

"No buts." He put his hands on her waist. "Please, Caroline. You've got to promise me that you won't do anything stupid tonight. Please? I can't worry about what I might do to you. I can't have anything happen to you. So, I need you to _stay away_." Caroline pouted which made Tyler laugh. "No, it's not going to work. You think just because you're Caroline Forbes and you're used to getting your way that I'll budge. Well, I won't, so you can pout all you want and be as cute as you want and I'm going to stand by my original statement, which is you _can't_ be there."

"Fine," she said, kissing him on the lips and heading out the bedroom door. "Oh, and Tyler? Nice boxers."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Walk a moonlit mile

_Don't do this, don't do this, don't __do __this _said her conscious on constant replay. He told her to stay away, but how could she, feeling the way she did about him, knowing how much pain he'd be in? She couldn't.

She loved him, and that was a fact. It was real, all consuming, and visceral and because of that, she couldn't let him suffer alone.

She found an old quilt in the Forbes' attic along with her favorite book, _The Great Gatsby_. Okay, it was cliché, but the idea of someone holding onto that kind of love forever was romantic. She wanted someone to love her that fiercely. It was apparent Matt hadn't, but maybe with Tyler it would be different. It felt different and she couldn't pinpoint why. It just did.

But that's also the way she thought about their relationship. It just was.

Placing the blanket against the door so she could hear Tyler's wolfy whimpers, she sat down. About three chapters into _Gatsby_ sleep came upon her. Suddenly she's eight and it's Valentine's Day at Mystic Falls Elementary School, and though too young to know the truth about love, Caroline dreams and hopes and wishes for her own special Valentine.

_She sees Elena and Bonnie sitting in the schoolyard. Elena all ready has five red heart shaped cards. Figures._

"_Hey Elena, Bonnie. Happy Valentine's Day," she says, giving her two best friends specially designed Valentine's Day cards that Martha Stewart would have been impressed with. _

"_Thanks Caroline," said Elena._

"_Yeah, Caroline, thanks," countered Bonnie. Caroline looked at Elena's stack of cards._

"_Wow, someone's popular today." Elena blushed._

"_Yeah! It's funny, I didn't think I'd get any." Caroline rolled her eyes. Even at eight she was astute enough to realize that Elena would never had a problem getting boys. She had that way about her that made young boys even flock to her. Especially Matt. _

"_Oh, please. Of course you were going to get one. Everyone knows how much Matt likes you. I hear he's going to ask you to be boyfriend/girlfriend." Elena and Bonnie giggled. _

"_Really?"_

"_Yes! What would you say?" Elena shrugged her shoulders. Typical Elena._

"_I don't know. Matt's been my friend for like, ever." _

"_Elena, you've got to say yes! You'll be the first one of us to have a boyfriend. On television, it's so romantic. Maybe he'll even kiss you." _

"_Ew, gross." Ugh, Typical Bonnie._

"_It's not gross. It's amazing. Wait and see. One day we'll be grown up and you'll want boys to kiss you."_

"_I doubt that." Caroline sighed and rolled her eyes. Her best friends would never get her the way she wanted them to. Just then, the bell rang, and Caroline jumped up, not being able to wait to go to her school cubby and see the number of cards she would get. After all, she was Caroline Forbes._

_But when she got there, her cubby was empty. No cards of any color._

_Oh well, she was sure she'd get something by the end of the day._

_But again, the end of the day came and nothing was there. Of course, Elena got three more cards by the day's end. Caroline was so upset and hurt that she went to the bathroom and cried her eyes out. By the time she was done, school had let out and she was stuck waiting for her mom in the playground where who else was there but Tyler Lockwood._

_Ugh._

_Stinky Tyler Lockwood. She hated him! He was so mean to her, always. She was in a bad mood and she didn't need him to make her feel even worse, so she walked by him and sat down by the chain linked fence facing the basketball courts where Tyler was playing by himself._

_But today something was different with the young Lockwood. He could sense the disappointment and loneliness Caroline was feeling, and instead of ignoring her or just being a jerk, he tried talking to her._

"_Hi Caroline." Caroline looked up from the ground, tears in her eyes, her golden blonde curls drooped beside her._

"_Hi Tyler."_

"_What's wrong?" Caroline shrugged. "It's stupid."_

"_I'm sure it's not stupid." _

"_I didn't get any Valentine's Day cards." _

"_Oh."_

"_Yeah."_

"_Well, who cares? It's just a stupid day." Ugh. She knew she would regret this._

"_It's not a stupid day! It's a day about love and showing someone that you love how much you love them."_

"_Ew."_

"_You would say that." Tyler shrugged. "So, you're never going to fall in love?"_

"_With a girl? No way. I don't want to be in love." Caroline snorted. "What?"_

"_So, you don't want to have anybody? You just want to be alone?"_

"_I'm alone all the time anyway, why should this be different?" Caroline noticed Tyler for the first time in a different way. She'd seen Mayor Lockwood and how he acted around Tyler. Tyler's daddy was always so mean to him, and his mommy never had time for him. She was always shooing him off and telling him to behave. _

_Caroline knew what that was like. Her mom never had time for her either, and neither did her dad._

"_I'm sorry."_

"_Yeah, well don't be. I don't need anybody feeling sorry me, especially you."_

"_Fine!"_

"_Fine!" Caroline sat in silence as Tyler resumed his game. But then he stopped and looked at Caroline. "I just mean, well, if you love someone, shouldn't you show it all the time? Not just on one day? And you should do it in many ways." _

"_Yeah, I guess so." Just then a car beeped and Caroline realized it was her mom. She picked herself up and then picked up her book bag. "Well, I gotta go. Thanks for talking to me, Tyler." _

_Tyler nodded and waved back after Caroline waved at him._

_The next day in Caroline's cubby there was a folded card made out of construction paper. Inside it read:_

_Dear Caroline,_

_Happy Valentine's Day._

_Sorry I was late._

_P.S. I know one day you'll have tons of Valentine's Day cards._

_The card was unsigned, but she knew who it was from. _

_After that, she and Tyler went back to their old ways, but she never forgot that special card. _

It must have been nearly morning when she awoke. She couldn't hear Tyler's cries, so she figured he was probably asleep.

Sure enough when she opened the door there he was lying on the ground, sleeping, but peaceful. She took her quilt and covered him. He must have felt her, because he woke. First confusion on his face, then a smile.

"I knew you wouldn't stay away."

"How could I?" She helped him get up and get dressed, though she will admit she took a bit of pleasure in the show.

"I hope you at least stayed outside."

"Of course I did."

When he was fully clothed, he came and wrapped Caroline in his arms and kissed her.

"Thanks." She smiled and returned the kiss.

When they were about to leave the cellar, she turned to him.

"Hey, Tyler?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank _you._" He looked confused.

"For what?"

"For that Valentine's Day card. I know it was from you." Tyler chuckled.

"What made you think of that?"

"I don't know. I just did. Who would have ever thought, you and me?"

"I did. When I wrote the card, I did."

"You did not. You always thought I was annoying." Tyler laughed again. 

"Well, you kind of _were, _but I liked you. You never noticed I spent more time picking on you than anyone else?" This time Caroline laughed.

"Yeah, I guess I did."

"That's how I showed my affection." Caroline rolled her eyes.

"I'm glad you can show it other ways now."

"Me too, Forbes. Me too."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Your love is the only medicine I need

It had been two months into her relationship with Tyler and Caroline was loving every minute of it. There was no second guessing, no rehearsing, no trying to be someone she wasn't in order for the guy to love her, and if Tyler had something on his mind, he'd say it. As would she.

They were equals and respected each other, and she never took him for granted and neither did he with her. Tyler was an attentive and loving boyfriend, but he could still be rough around the edges. He had his moments when he was being such guy that she needed to restrain herself from smacking him. Like today in fact.

He wasn't feeling well and was being the biggest baby about it. Mrs. Lockwood was out doing some mayorly duties and Caroline was left playing doctor, which normally she wouldn't have minded if Tyler wasn't being such a pain in the ass.

"Caroline, I'm fine. I need to go for a run," Tyler insisted, but before he could get out of bed, Caroline was there in lightning speed with her vampire force pinning him down to the bed. "On the other hand, I could get used to this," he said winking.

"Tyler, you're not well. You're sick and as much as you hate to admit it, you need to. You mom specifically asked me to come over here and watch you. She said you were never a good patient, and now I know why." Tyler rolled his eyes.

"I don't know how I feel about my mom and my girlfriend in cahoots." Caroline was stuck on the word _girlfriend_. She smiled. "What? What are you smiling about?"

"You called me your girlfriend." Tyler looked confused.

"Well, yeah. I thought that was implied."

"But you've never _said _it before. Sometimes it's just nice to hear it." Tyler shook his head.

"You're such a girl sometimes," Tyler said as Caroline was propping up pillows behind him. "And you're also going a bit overboard with this playing doctor thing. I'm fine, really I am." But then he coughed.

"Yes, I am a girl. Get used to it. And you, sir, are _not_ fine. I don't even want to tell you what color that stuff coming out of your nose is. It's gross." Tyler laughed.

"You can drink blood but mucus is gross?"

"Hey, nobody ever said I was perfect."

"I did." And just like that, her heart melted. "It's because you are perfect. And you know what would make you even more perfect? Letting me go out for a run." Caroline laughed and shook her head, and then gave him a kiss. The advantage of being a vampire is that being sick wasn't something she needed to worry about.

"Nope. You're going to stay in bed."

"But it's so boring."

"Suck it up." And so he did, because it was Caroline. She made sure he had juice and chicken noodle soup and did it with a smile, because she was Caroline. Tyler had to admit to himself that while he hated being sick more than anything, having Caroline by his side taking care of him made it worth it.

He was so far gone in love with her it wasn't even funny. But he hadn't said it yet, mainly because he was afraid of what she'd say, and he wanted to say it at the right time, but more importantly because he had never said to anybody. Well, anybody he wasn't related to.

They were playing a rousing game of scrabble, and Caroline was enjoying kicking his ass. He made words and she claimed they weren't, he said they so were, but then she confirmed on her iPhone dictionary that they weren't. He wasn't even sure how it happened, it might have been his fever, or the way Caroline looked when she smiled at him, but he decided now was the right time.

"Close your eyes."

"Why? Are you going to cheat?"

"Caroline, please. Just close your eyes." And she obliged. When she opened them the entire scrabble board had been empty except for three words.

**I love you**.

Caroline was silent, but she could see Tyler was anxiously awaiting her response. The truth was she wanted to say it so many times in so many ways and she was afraid. She didn't want to scare him off.

She turned the scrabble board towards herself and spelled out four words of her own.

**I love you too**.

Tyler beamed from ear to ear.

"Really?" She nodded.

"More than you know."

Okay, so their relationship wasn't always glorious, and maybe not the stuff great romance movies were made of, but it was real and she wouldn't trade it for the world, and neither would he.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Parental Advisement Discouraged

Tyler came arrived home one evening with Caroline in tow only to find his mother and three other people at the dinner table.

"Tyler," Carol Lockwood said approaching her son and giving him a quick hug. "Oh, and…Caroline. I didn't know you were going to be here." Caroline nodded.

"I hope that's okay. Am I interrupting something?" she asked, taking note of the specific five plate settings out on the dinner table.

"No, no not at all. This is Richard and Dakota Smith along with their daughter Tierney, and the Smith's have just relocated back to Mystic Falls. The Smiths were one of the original founding families as well." Caroline nodded, as did Tyler.

"Nice to meet you, Tyler. You mother has told us so much about you, and you really are the spitting image of your father." Tyler extended his hand out to shake Mr. Smith's.

"Nice to meet you too, sir." Then he turned to Caroline. "And this is Caroline Forbes." Caroline extended her hand out to Mr. Smith.

"Forbes? As in William Forbes?"

"Yes, the very one."

"Caroline's mother is the sheriff, Richard," the voice coming from Dakota, who gave Carol a knowing look.

"Oh, of course." Silence filled the air, and Caroline immediately felt out of place. She could tell _something_ was going on, she just couldn't tell what. "Oh," Richard began, taking a quick glance at his daughter, "and this is our daughter, Tierney. She'll be attending Mystic Falls along with you. She's sixteen and a junior, and she's very smart. In fact, she's going to be attending Harvard."

Caroline looked at the brunette, who was, well, if Elena was what you considered gorgeous, Tierney would be whatever the step above gorgeous would be. She was just absolutely stunning in her sundress, which looked just fine on any old regular girl, but on Tierney it looked magnificent. Suddenly, Caroline felt very uneasy and a bit territorial, as Tierney was most definitely giving Tyler the once-over. Actually, it looked as though Tyler was a juicy steak she was planning on devouring.

"Oh dad," Tierney giggled, "Stop. You know I hate it when you gush about me." She extended her hand out to Tyler as well. "I've heard _so much_ about you. Your mom has been regaling us with stories about your numerous achievements in sports."

"Um, thanks."

"Well, why don't you two sit and I'll tell Eloisa that we're ready to eat." Tyler and Caroline nodded and went to sit down. Tyler pulled a chair out for Caroline to sit on and he then sat down next to her.

Soon afterwards Carol rejoined them.

"You know, Tyler, Tierney is brand new to Mystic Falls and I was telling her that you wouldn't mind showing her around." Tyler looked over at Tierney who was smiling.

"I'd really like that. It's hard, you know, starting in a new town." Tyler looked at Caroline who was sipping her water. Tyler took hold of Caroline's hand and put it up next to him on the table.

"Yeah, we'll see. Caroline's actually a much better tour guide than I am. I'd be lost without her," a wink at Caroline's direction. Tierney glared at Caroline.

"Okay."

"Well, you know, Tyler, Caroline is a girl with many responsibilities. She may not have time to show Tierney around."

"Well, _mom_, we'll make the time."

It was a warning that Carol was obviously not willing to follow. You could cut the tension with a knife. It was clear that Carol Lockwood was suddenly not fond of her son's choice of girlfriend, which was nothing new to Caroline, sadly. She thought that Carol would have loved her, but apparently, not.

It made Caroline sick to her stomach seeing Carol try to force Tierney onto Tyler, and Tyler was trying so hard to show that it was only Caroline he wanted, but Caroline couldn't help but wonder if he was feeling a little tempted. He _was_ only human (on twenty-nine days out of the month anyway) after all. Even the most loyal guys get tempted to stray, and before Caroline Tyler had never been in a relationship, so she had to question how long Tyler would remain faithful.

It was a horrible thought though. Tyler had no qualms about showing his affection for Caroline. He was always holding her hand or putting his arm around her shoulder, or saying I love you, but still…who knows?

"You know, Tyler, your mom didn't say anything about you having a girlfriend," Tierney piped in. _Bitch_.

Caroline wanted to smack her smug smile right off her face. Carol shrugged.

"Well, kids today. Tyler has inherited a lot of his father's genes, and in there is infidelity."

"MOM!"

Caroline got up from her seat.

"I should go. I'm sorry for…I should go." Tyler followed Caroline out to the foyer. 

"Caroline, I'm so sorry, I don't know what she's –" Caroline put her finger to Tyler's mouth.

"It's okay. It's fine. Look, don't worry about it. I should go." She went to walk out the door, but Tyler took her.

"No. Don't leave like this."

"Tyler it's fine. Really, you know your mom."

"It's not all right, and I'm going to talk to her about this. I will. She cannot treat you like that, okay? I'll call you tonight."

"Maybe you shouldn't…"

"I'm going to call you tonight. I love you." Caroline forced a smile, but Tyler could tell she was hurt. 

"I love you too," she said leaning in for a kiss. "Bye."

Just then, Carol showed up.

"Mom, I don't know what the hell you're doing, but it better stop."

"Tyler, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset your friend, but I just think –"

"_Girl_friend."

"Excuse me?"

"Girlfriend mom. Caroline's not just my friend, she's my girlfriend. We're committed to each other and I cannot believe you did that to her! Do you know how awful she's feeling right now, do you?"

"Tyler, I know that you don't understand this. I'm not saying Caroline is some horrible person. I'm simply stating that you're young and you and Caroline won't be together forever. Might be nice to keep your options open."

"Mom, I swear to God…"

"She is not good enough for you." Tyler snorted. 

"Good enough for me, or for _you_?" Carol crossed her arms.

"And what does that mean?"

"It means you don't want me dating Caroline because of her mother. You and Sheriff Forbes have some ridiculous antagonism going on and you don't want me seeing Caroline because of it. Well, that's too damn bad. Caroline and I may be young, but make no mistake. We will be together as long as we want to, and if that's forever, you'll just have to deal with that. I love her, mom. No, I don't just love her, I'm in love with her. So, you can sic all the Tierney's and Mary Kate's on me as much as you want to and I'm not going to change my mind. All I want is Caroline, and you better accept it or you'll lose me, mom. I mean it."

With that, Caroline watched her son walk away, and though she had lost the battle, she had not lost the war. Caroline Forbes was a vampire, and her son would not get sucked into their lies and their filthy vicious world. He would see her point sooner or later, even if she had to kill Caroline.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Anyone Else But You

Caroline came home feeling just positively awful. She thought things with Tyler were going great, and then tonight happened and all that greatness went out the window. Sure, Tyler could tell her he loved her, but in the end, Mrs. Lockwood would always hate her (for some reason) and eventually Tyler would get tired of defending her to his mother. He would resent here and by extension their relationship. Maybe it was better to end it, but the thought of not being with Tyler was like drowning.

She felt like she couldn't breathe (well, she couldn't as she was technically dead) but that's how much she loved him. She didn't know what to do. She was just feeling miserable.

Her phone beeped.

_I'm so sorry for what happened tonight. Please call me_.

But she didn't.

Fifteen minutes later came another text.

_Caroline, please._

And again she didn't respond.

Beep.

_Car, I swear to you I had no idea that she would do that. I love you._

She turned her phone off and went to bed. She didn't want to have to answer all those deafening questions and silence the doubts that were ringing in her ear. She hadn't been asleep for that long when she suddenly was jolted awake. She looked up from her bed and saw Tyler standing in her room.

"What are you doing here?"

"You didn't answer my texts."

"No, I mean how did you get in here?"

"Climbed through the window. But don't change the subject. Why didn't you answer any of my texts? I must have sent about fifteen. And I left you a voicemail." Caroline shrugged. "That's all I get is a shrug? That's great Caroline. I'm pouring my heart out here and you're giving me nothing."

"Maybe that's the point."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means, I've been through this before."

"Don't do that."

"Don't do what?"

"Don't compare me to Matt. What you two had was completely different. Don't. Do. That." Tyler's jaw stiffened.

"I wasn't. I was just stating that this isn't the first time my boyfriend's mother disapproved of me."

"But don't you get it? I don't care what my mother thinks."

"But you will."

"Oh, and you know that how? I'm sorry, I didn't realize you were a vampire _and_ psychic. Wow." Caroline got up from the bed.

"And don't you patronize me. "

"Then _don't_ tell me how I feel or what I feel or what I will feel."

"I'm not."

"Yes, you are." Caroline folded her arms.

"I'm just saying eventually you're going to resent our relationship and me. It's inevitable. I'm just trying to make this easier."

"What is inevitable, Caroline? Tell me." But Caroline just stood in silence. "I thought we told each other everything."

"You want the truth? You want me to tell you everything? Fine, here it is. You are going to wake up one day and realize that being with me means you can't have a normal life. No kids, no white picket fence. You'll have to lie to _everyone_. And even if your mom doesn't know now, she will, and if you think she hates me now, well, wait until she finds out what I am. "

Tyler put his arms around Caroline's waist and held tight.

"How many times do I have to tell you that _I don't care_ what my mom thinks? I don't care what anybody thinks. I don't care about having a normal life or kids or the white picket fence. All I want is you. All I need is you."

Caroline could see this wasn't working.

"Well, then maybe _I'm_ tired of pretending. I'm tired of risking my life for _you_ every month. I'm tired of…." _Say it, say it. He'll never believe you if you don't_, said her mind. "I'm tired of pretending I love you." Tyler stood there, shell shocked.

"You….you don't mean that."

"Yes, yes I do. I don't love you, Tyler." Tears began to stream down Tyler's face.

"Why are you doing this?"

"Because it's true."

"No it's not. You're just trying to hurt me so I'll leave. I get that you're scared, and I get that my mom hurt you tonight, but what I don't get is why you're trying to intentionally break my heart."

"I'm not trying to do that. I'm being honest, Tyler. I have feelings for you, but I don't love you."

"STOP SAYING THAT!"

Now Caroline was crying. She pulled herself out of Tyler's embrace. 

"No, you should go. You _need_ to go." But Tyler wouldn't budge.

"No."

"Tyler…"

"I'm _not_ letting you end this." Caroline laughed.

"I am ending this. It's over. Don't you get it? You think your mom was wrong about tonight but she was right. You should be with girls like Tierney."

"I don't give a fuck about girls like Tierney. All I want is you."

"And that's what you say now, Tyler. This is why I don't deserve you, because you're selfless." Now it was Tyler's turn to laugh.

"Selfless? No, I'm not. I'm the most selfish guy in the world. I want you because you've changed me. You've opened my eyes to a new world and I can't imagine going back to who I was before that, and I don't want to. It has nothing to do with me being selfless. If I was selfless, I'd walk out that door. I know what you're doing, and I'm not going to let you do it. You're the selfless one, Caroline. You're the one who would rather be alone and miserable just to save me the pain, right? Isn't that what you're doing?" Caroline didn't answer. "Isn't that why you're trying to get me out of your life? Yeah, it is. It has nothing to do with you not wanting me, it's because you want better for me. But there is nothing better than you. I can't picture my life without you in it. So, you can say all these things to me about how you don't love me, and how you don't want me, and guess what? I'm not going away. I'll come here and I'll tell you every night that I love you and I need you, because not being with you? Caroline, that is the worst thing imaginable. So, please. Please don't do this. Don't end this."

Caroline hugged Tyler hard, and then kissed him.

"I'm so so sorry for what I said," she explained, tears streaming in buckets down her face. Tyler wiped them away with his finger and kissed her forehead.

"I know. I know you didn't mean it."

"I love you, Tyler. I love you so much."

"I know that too." Caroline pulled Tyler onto her, and let him watch as she took off her shirt, revealing her succulent breasts. Then she took off his shirt, admiring his abs and rock hard stomach.

Tyler picked her up and put her on her bed, kissing her mouth, then her neck, then her stomach, then lifted her legs up to put around him.

Slowly he moved inside of her, letting her feel every inch of him, and he felt every inch of her.

He could do this for all eternity, he thought, make love to Caroline.

When she gasped he thrust himself harder, and then without warning, Caroline turned him over with her vampire quickness. Suddenly she was on top moving.

It lasted for what seemed like hours, as neither of them wanted to let go. But finally it did and the two of them lay contently next to each other.

Tyler was moving his fingers up and down Caroline's arms.

"You know how lucky I am? If it had been any other guy, he would have left when I started saying all of those awful things."

"Well, I doubt any other girl would be so cavalier with her boyfriend trying to kill her once a month."

"That doesn't matter to me. You aren't you. I mean, you are but…you know what I mean." Tyler chuckled.

"I do." Tyler moved a stray hair out of Caroline's eyes. "I needed to dig deep, didn't I? You made me work for it. But if you had made me leave, I don't know what I would have done. You scared me, Caroline. Don't _ever_ do that again. I can't, I couldn't lose you. I'd go insane."

"I'm sure Tierney would keep you company."

"Yeah, she was pretty cute." Caroline punched him in the arm. "Ouch."

"You deserved it."

"I know. When you said you pretended to love me, I've never been in that much pain when it wasn't a full moon."

Caroline took a pillow and covered herself with it.

"What are you doing?"

"Trying to kill myself, again." Tyler took the pillow off.

"Hey, come on. I know why you were doing it."

"I know, but thinking about how that must have felt. I just kept thinking about the break up scene from _New Moon_ with Edward and Bella." Even in the dark Caroline could feel Tyler roll his eyes.

"I can't believe you read that."

"What? Are you jealous because Jacob Black is cooler than you?" Tyler got up on his side.

"What? Jacob Black is _not_ cooler than me. He doesn't even turn on the full moon! I can't believe you're making me talk about _Twilight._"

"No, baby. Nobody is cooler than you. But I am sorry, and I won't ever do that again."

"Good." Caroline snorted. "What?"

"What kind of name is Tierney anyway? And did you see the look she gave me? What a bitch."

"Jealous?"

"Of her? No way."

"Right."

"What. I'm not jealous."

"Whatever you say."

"Why? Do you…I mean do you ever get jealous?"

"Seriously? You really want to know?"

"Yeah."

"Yeah I get jealous. I see Matt looking at you sometimes. You don't notice, because you're too busy looking at me, and I'm glad, but I can see he regrets losing you. He may not say it, but he does."

"He does not."

"He does. And Damon, too."

"Damon does _not_ regret losing me."

"No, I know that. But knowing you've been with him, it irks me. I don't want to think about anyone else's hands touching you. It's for me only," Tyler said winking.

"Yes, it is. And I guess I was jealous of Tierney. She looked like she wanted to mount you on her wall."

"Oh, really? Hmm, I'm intrigued. Maybe I should give her a call…" Caroline punched Tyler again. "Ow! Man. Having a vampire for a girlfriend means you get a lot of bruises."

"Serves you right."

"I don't care about anyone else. I don't want anyone else but you."

"Me either."

"In this lifetime or the next?"

"Forever."

"That was just the answer I wanted to hear."


End file.
